Directory-board.



P. DE SILVA.

DIRECTORY BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED JANjzz, 1914.

1,121,809, i A Patnted De0.22,1914.

Gonna BU|LD|NG y Ilm.

Lwenbvor.' Frank 1h35 lla FRANK nn SILVA, or MELROSE, MAssAoHU'snr-rs DIRECTORY-nonna.

' Specication of Lettersvlatent. I Patented Dec. 22, 1914,-

Application filed January 22, 1914. Serial No. 813,813.

To all whom, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK DE SILVA, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Melrose, in the county of Middlesex'and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Directory-Boards, of which the following is a specification. r

This invention relates to directory or bulletin boards, such, for example, as those used at the entrance of large buildings giving the.

names and locations of the tenants, and more particularly to such boards on4 which lthe reading matterfis made up of a series'of unitary blocks bearing a letter of the alphabet or other character.

The object'of the invention is to provide a directory board which is strong and rigid in structure, free from loose parts and easy to operate when the matter displayed is lto be changed.

A further object is to provide a boardl on which the signs may be changed without the aid of a skilled operator, or the necessity of any particular training in the operation of the board.

These objects and such others as may hereinafter appear will bestbe understood from the following description and accompanying drawings of the preferredI embodiment of the invention.

Of the drawings: Figure 1'is a front elevation of a directory board adapted for use in an oiice building. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view of a portion of the boar certain parts being shown in section. Fi 4 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, of one of the channel strips for retaining a line of character bearing blocks. Fig. 5 is an end view of the same. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views of the front and back members of a character block.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through a character block, the front and back membersbef ing separated. Fig. 9 is a front view of a character block, and Fig. 10 isa lvertical section through the block shown in Fig. 9.

Similar characters designate like partsy throughout the several figures of the drawings. I In the drawings, the directory board 1s illustrated as comprising a back board 10, which carries the reading matter, surrounded by a frame 11 to which is hinged a door Y 12. The door is divided vertically by a-bar 13 and provided with two windows 14, by

which the board is adapted to display two vertical columns of names. line of reading matter is carried in a channel plate 15, shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5. The channel pla-tesy are preferably made from pieces of sheet metal of sufficient length to accommodate a line of the desired length and having the longitudinal edges 16 turned inwardly toward the front thereof so as to form a shallow dovetailed groove on the front `side of the plate to receive the character blocks. The channel plates are re movably mounted on the back board 10 by inserting flat lugsvor extensions 17 extending from each end of the plate into notches 18 formed in vertical strips 19 which pro- ]ect from the back board 10. The notches 18 in each pair of strips 19 are alined. The

lugs 17'are located near the upper edge of vthe vplate 15 and are of such width as to it snuglyinto the vbottom of the notches 18.

The notches 18 are dovetai] in shape having their upper andlower edges inclined inwardly toward the front edgev of the strip lso that the opening at the edges is of less yvidth than the width of the flat extensions 17 of the plates 16, therebv preventing the removal of said plates until thev are tipped at an angle to said back board 10.' The rear edge of thel notches 18 are somewhat in front of the front face of the back board10 and between the plates 15 and the front face.

of'said board and secured to thelatter are a plurality of magnets 20 inclined at angle to the edges of said back board with 'their' ,Each name or The character blocks 21 are formed of two cup-shaped members 22 and 23, the latter joined together in the manner described, the edges of said block arestraight with the faces of said edges lnclined inwardly toward the rear of the block. When the block 21 is inserted between the inturned inclined flanges of the plate 15 with the outer face of the member 22 facing outwardly as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5` it is self-evident that the frictional contact between the upper and lower edges of the block 21 and the flanges of the plate 15 will be reduced to a minimum and the movement of the blocks longitudinally of the plate will be greatly facilitated. v

It is obvious that with a directory board thus constructed the superintendent of any building where such a board is installed may readily make any desired changes therein without the necessity of having new name plates made as is now the case. It is also evident that each name plate may be quickly and readily removed without in any manner disturbin the remaining name plates. By the use o the magnets disposed in the rear of the plates the rattling of the plates will be efectually prevented when the building is shaken by passing tralic.

It is believed that the operation and many advantages of the invention will be fully understood from the foregoing description.

Having thus described my invention, l

claim:

l. ln a device of the class described, the combination of a back board; vertical strips at the`ends thereof provided with a plurality of notches in the front edges thereof, the notches in one strip being alined with the corresponding notches in the other strip a character-block-carrying plate having at its ends adjacent to the upper edge thereof extensions adapted to be positioned in two alined notches; and magnets on the front face of said back board coacting with opposite ends of said plates to preventpmovement thereof.

2. ln a device of the class described, the combination of a back board; vertical strips at the ends thereof provided with a plurality of dovetail notches in the front edges thereof, the notches in one strip being alined with the corresponding notches in the other strip; a character-block-carrying plate having at its ends adjacent its upper edge extensions adapted to be v positioned in two alined notches; and ymagnets positioned on= the front face of said back board with their endsin echelon and coacting with said strips to prevent movement thereof.

3. ln a device of the class described, the combination of a backboard; vertical strips `at the ends thereof provided with a plurality of dovetail notchesterminating in narrow openings at the front edges thereof midway of said notches, the notches in one strip being alined withA the corresponding notches in the other strip; and a plate having flat extensions at oppositeY ends near the upper edge adapted to be positioned in said alined notches.

4. ln a device of the class described, the combination of a backboard; vertical strips at the ends thereof provided with a plurality of dovetail notches terminating in narrow openings at the front edges thereof midway of said notches, the notches in one strip being alined with the corresponding notches in the other strip a plate having flat extensions at opposite ends near the upper edge adapted to be positioned in said alined notches; and means behind the opposite ends of said plate to prevent movement thereof about the axis of said extensions.

Signed by me at 4 Post Oce Sq., Boston,

- Mass., this 19th day of January, 1914.

FRANK DE SLVA.

Witnesses:

WALTER E. LOMBARD, NATHAN C. LOMBARD. 

